Tulimaliza chakula chote nyumbani jioni.

We finished all the food at home in the evening.

Breakdown of Tulimaliza chakula chote nyumbani jioni.

• nyumba: the home
• kwenye: at
• katika: in
• jioni: the evening
• chakula: the food
• kumaliza: to finish
• chote: all

Questions & Answers about Tulimaliza chakula chote nyumbani jioni.

What are the parts of the verb Tulimaliza, and how does it mean we finished?

Tulimaliza is made of three parts:

• tu- = we (subject prefix, 1st person plural)
• -li- = past tense marker
• -maliza = to finish (verb root)

So: tu + li + maliza → tulimaliza = we finished.

Compare with other subjects:

• nilimaliza = ni- (I) + -li- (past) + maliza → I finished
• alimaliza = a- (he/she) + -li- (past) + maliza → he/she finished
• walimaliza = wa- (they) + -li- (past) + maliza → they finished

Why doesn’t the sentence say Sisi tulimaliza… for we finished…?

In Swahili, the subject is usually shown inside the verb with a subject prefix, so an extra pronoun is not needed.

• Tulimaliza chakula chote… already means We finished all the food… because of tu-.

You only add an independent pronoun like sisi for emphasis or contrast:

• Sisi tulimaliza chakula chote, si wao.
  We finished all the food, not them.

But in neutral sentences, Tulimaliza… is completely natural and correct.

Could Tulimaliza also mean we have finished, or is it only simple past?

The marker -li- is the simple past, so tulimaliza is most directly we finished.

Swahili has a separate perfect-like tense with -me-:

• tumemaliza = we have finished / we have just finished

In many everyday contexts, English simple past and present perfect overlap in meaning, but grammatically:

• tulimaliza → past event, finished and located in past time
• tumemaliza → result relevant now, like English have finished

What noun class is chakula, and why does that matter for chote?

Chakula belongs to noun class 7/8:

• singular: chakula (class 7)
• plural: vyakula (class 8)

Adjectives must agree with the noun class. The adjective -ote (all) changes its beginning to match the class:

• class 7 (chakula) → chote
• class 8 (vyakula) → vyote

So:

• chakula chote = all the food / the whole meal
• vyakula vyote = all the foods / all the dishes

Why is it chakula chote and not chakula yote for all the food?

Because yote is not the agreement form for noun class 7.

Rough guide for -ote (all):

• class 7: chakula chote (food, singular)
• class 8: vyakula vyote (foods, plural)
• class 6: maji yote (all the water)
• class 9/10: chai yote / chai zote (all the tea / all the teas)

So chakula yote would be ungrammatical; the correct agreement is chakula chote.

Does chakula chote mean all the food or the whole meal? Is there a difference?

Chakula chote can mean either, depending on context:

• all the food (that there was)
• the whole meal

Examples:

• Tulimaliza chakula chote nyumbani jioni.
  We finished all the food / the whole meal at home in the evening.

• Alikula chakula chote peke yake.
  He/She ate all the food by himself/herself.

Usually English chooses all the food or the whole meal based on what sounds more natural, but in Swahili chakula chote comfortably covers both ideas.

What exactly does chakula mean? Is it only food, or also meal?

Chakula can mean:

1. Food in general:

   • Ninapenda chakula cha Kiswahili. = I like Swahili food.

2. A meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner):

   • Chakula kimeiva. = The meal is ready.

So in the sentence, chakula chote can be understood as all the food or the whole meal; context decides how you translate it into English.

What does nyumbani mean here? Is it at home, in the house, or home?

Nyumbani is formed from nyumba (house/home) + the locative ending -ni.

It can mean:

• at home
• in the house
• simply home (as an adverb of place)

In your sentence:

• Tulimaliza chakula chote nyumbani jioni.
  Most naturally: We finished all the food at home in the evening.

Context might shade it toward at home (as opposed to at a restaurant) or in the house (as opposed to outside), but grammatically nyumbani covers both.

Why is there no preposition like at or in before nyumbani and jioni?

Swahili often does not use separate prepositions where English does. Instead:

• Place is often expressed with a locative noun:

  • nyumbani = at home / in the house
  • shuleni = at school
  • kanisani = at church

• Time expressions like jioni act as simple time adverbs:

  • jioni = in the evening
  • asubuhi = in the morning
  • usiku = at night

So you just say:

• nyumbani jioni (at home in the evening)
  without extra words for at or in.

What time of day does jioni refer to exactly?

Jioni is evening, roughly late afternoon to early night, often about 4 p.m. to 7–8 p.m., though usage varies by region.

Common time words:

• asubuhi – morning
• mchana – midday / afternoon
• jioni – evening
• usiku – night

In context, Tulimaliza chakula chote nyumbani jioni is clearly about the evening (not morning or late night).

Can the order of nyumbani and jioni change? For example, could you say Tulimaliza chakula chote jioni nyumbani?

Yes, Swahili word order for adverbials (place, time, manner) is fairly flexible.

All of these are possible:

• Tulimaliza chakula chote nyumbani jioni.
• Tulimaliza chakula chote jioni nyumbani.
• Jioni tulimaliza chakula chote nyumbani.
• Nyumbani tulimaliza chakula chote jioni.

The default, neutral feel is often Verb + Object + Place + Time, as in your sentence, but changing the order can add emphasis (for example, putting Jioni at the start emphasises the time).

Could we add an object marker and say Tulikimaliza chakula chote nyumbani jioni? Would that be correct?

Grammatically, yes:

• tuli-ki-maliza
  
  • tu- (we)
  • -li- (past)
  • -ki- (object marker for class 7, referring to chakula)
  • maliza (finish)

So Tulikimaliza chakula chote nyumbani jioni would mean roughly:

• We finished it (the food), all of it, at home in the evening.

However, when the object (chakula chote) is right there after the verb, many speakers simply say tulimaliza chakula chote… without the object marker. Adding -ki- can make the object feel more definite/already known or add a bit of emphasis, but it’s not required in this sentence.